Monday, June 27, 2011

Crispy Corn Fritters with Chipotle Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce

This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Kraft.

If there’s one thing I learned about food while living in North Carolina, it’s that anything can be battered and fried: steak, okra, pickles. Heck, even butter, as Paula Deen, proved, can be battered and fried.

It’s not just Southerners though. Americans love battering and frying all types of foods. New Englanders have fried clams. Midwesternerns have fried pork. Southwesterners have fried chiles. Texans have fried Coca-Cola. Seriously.

Yet, of all these devilishly fried, crispy treats, corn fritters may just be the best. Tender sweet corn is encased in a pillow of sweet batter and fried until doubled in size and tantalizingly golden and crunchy.

With sweet corn season upon us, there is no better time to make Crispy Corn Fritters with Chipotle Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce. They’re impossibly simple to make and impossible to resist.

It all started with a video from Paula Deen on April 4th, 2011, announcing Season Two of Real Women of Philadelphia and will come to a fabulous conclusion at 7PM EST on June 30th, 2011. That’s when Paul Deen, during The Live Event at the historic Lucas Theatre in downtown Savannah, Georgia will announce the four women who will officially become the Real Women of Philadelphia hosts and be awarded a contract with Kraft Foods worth $25,000.

The Live Event is more than just announcing the winners. It’s a celebration of the community that women from all over the country have built together. A family of at-home cooks who have banded together over their common interests and have turned the website into a living thing. And Paula wants you to be a part of that community.

If you do too, then hop on over to the Real Women of Philadelphia website, join the community, and tell her what you think of the finalists’ recipes. Like she says, “let those sweet congratulatory words start pourin’ in.” I want to know what you think of the recipes too! Go to the Real Women of Philadelphia site and check out the finalists’ recipes. Then come back here and tell me which one(s) you liked most or wanted to try.

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 teaspoons canola oil. Add corn and saute 2 minutes or until golden brown. Add scallions and red bell pepper, and saute 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are browned but not too soft. Stir in the cilantro. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large bowl stir biscuit mix, salt, cayenne, cumin, and lime zest. Whisk the milk and egg and add to the biscuit mixture. Stir until just combined. Add the vegetables and stir until just incorporated.

3. In a deep, heavy bottomed pot, add 2 inches of canola oil, and heat to 375 degrees F. Drop batter by the teaspoonful into the hot oil and fry a few at a time, 30 to 60 seconds, flipping once, until golden brown all over. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat.

4. To make the dipping sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well blended. Serve with hot fritters.